Middletown, R.I. (January 13, 2024) – The Golden Bears headed to Rhode Island for their second consecutive game against Salve Regina University. After winning the previous night, 6-2, the Golden Bears looked for their fifth win in a row. The Golden Bears led 1-0 after one and 2-1 after two. Then, the Seahawks would net the equalizing goal with under 23 seconds left in the game. The game would go to overtime, where the Seahawks would score and win the game 3-2. Alexa Paoli and Jenna Lynch each had power play goals during the game for the Golden Bears. 

Records:

• Western New England: 9-4-2 (7-3-1)
• Salve Regina University: 8-5-3 (5-3-1)

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears traveled to Rhode Island for a showdown with the Seahawks. The game got underway with Rieley Jessie-Gerelli and Livia Krzywulak in net for the Golden Bears and Seahawks, respectively. Allison Walker would win the opening faceoff for the Golden Bears. The teams traded shots back and forth. Both teams tested the opposing goalie. Both goalies were equal to each task in the beginning. 6:46 into the game, the Golden Bears went on the power play. Both teams had a shot on goal during the WNE power play. Both goalies made saves to keep the score knotted at zero. The game returned to back-and-forth action. Just as the Seahawks looked to be gaining momentum with five out of six shots, they were called for a penalty, and the Golden Bears had another power play opportunity. Jenna Lynch started the power play with a shot that hit the pipe. Then, after two Golden Bear shots went wide, Alexa Paoli netted a power play goal to give the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead. Alyssa Murphy had the puck on the left side of the ice. Murphy sent the puck to Maddie Pope, who was at the bottom of the WNE attacking zone. Pope found Paoli moving toward the net. Paoli got the pass and pushed the puck past the goalie and into the back of the net. The Golden Bears led 1-0. The Golden Bears would finish the first period of play with four of the final five shots, with three shots on Krzywulak. After the opening period of play, the Golden Bears led 18-16 in total shots, 8-6 in shots on goal, 2-0 in power play opportunities, and 5-3 in blocked shots. The Seahawks had more faceoff wins, 6-5. The score was 1-0, with the Golden Bears leading at the first intermission.

The second period of play started with Allison Walker winning the opening faceoff. The teams traded shots to start the second. Then, the Seahawks had five shots in a row, with four needing to be saved by Jessie-Gerelli and one hitting the pipe. The Golden Bears were then called for a penalty, and the Seahawks were on the power play. The Seahawks had four shots during the power play. One of the shots had to be saved by Jessie-Gerelli. The Seahawks kept the pressure on by taking six of the next eight shots. Then, the Seahawks were called for another penalty. On the power play, the Golden Bears had nine shots, with two being saved by Krzywulak. The final shot of the power play was a power play goal from Jenna Lynch with 7:12 left in the second. Brie Dube had the puck at the top-left corner of the WNE attacking zone. Dube sent the puck to Zoe Galanoudis, who skated toward the net and sent a pass over to Jenna Lynch, who immediately directed the puck into the back of the net for the goal. The Golden Bears led 2-0. After the puck moved from side to side and the Golden Bears got a shot on goal, which was saved by Krzywulak, the Seahawks would cut the deficit to one goal. Caroline Pekkala sent a pass up the ice to Gina Richard, who skated down the left side of the ice and snapped a wrist shot past the goalie to make the score 2-1, with the Golden Bears still in the lead. After two shots from the Seahawks and five from the Golden Bears, the second period of play ended with the Golden Bears holding a 2-1 lead over the Seahawks. The Seahawks led 10-9 in shots on goal, with the Golden Bears having more total shots, 20-18. The Seahawks led in faceoffs won, 7-6, and both teams had a power play opportunity, with the Golden Bears scoring on theirs. The Golden Bears would have more blocked shots during the period, 3-2.

The third period of play started with Allison Walker winning the opening faceoff for the Golden Bears. The teams went back and forth with shot after shot and save after save. Both teams tried to net the next goal. The Seahawks hoped to find the equalizing goal, and the Golden Bears looked to extend their lead back to two. Neither team could break through as the defenses and goalies kept the score where it was. With almost five minutes remaining in the third period of play, the Seahawks would have five shots in a row, with three shots on goal. Then, the Seahawks pulled their goalie. The Seahawks would have to put their goalie back into the game.

However, after a save by Krzywulak, the Seahawks pulled the goalie again for the extra skater. After three shots from the Seahawks and one from the Golden Bears that missed the net, Emily Wroblewski tied the game at two. Caroline Pekkala had the puck at the top of the Seahawk attacking zone. Pekkala sent the puck to Maddie Cox. Maddie Cox sent the puck to Emily Wroblewski in front of the net, who turned and scored. The Seahawks tied the score 2-2 with just under 23 seconds left in the third. That goal sent the game to overtime. Shots on goal favored the Seahawks 13-8. Total shots also favored the Seahawks, 24-12. The Golden Bears had more blocked shots, 6-2, and the Seahawks had more faceoff wins, 10-9. Neither team had a power play opportunity during the third. The game went to overtime, with the score tied 2-2.

The Golden Bears and Seahawks started overtime, with Riley Esposito winning the opening faceoff for the Seahawks. The Seahawks had every shot during overtime. There were eight shots from the Seahawks, with six being on goal. The sixth shot was the game-winning goal from the Seahawks. Jennifer Rickard won the faceoff in the Golden Bear defensive zone. Gina Richard gathered the puck and sent a pass to Maddie Cox, who skated down the left side of the boards, turned in toward the net, skated from left to right in front of the net, and pushed the puck past the goalie to give the Seahawks the overtime win. The Seahawks finished with 35 shots on goal compared to the 25 from the Golden Bears. The Seahawks also had more faceoffs won 28-20, more total shots, 66-50, and more blocked shots, 14-7. The Golden Bears were two for three on the power play, and the Seahawks were zero for one. The Seahawks won the game 3-2 in overtime.

Inside the Crease:

• WNE traveled to Middletown, Rhode Island, for a matchup with the Seahawks.
• Alexa Paoli opened the scoring with a power play goal 16:30 into the game. Maddie Pope and Alyssa Murphy had the assists. The Golden Bears led 1-0.
• Jenna Lynch netted a power play goal 12:48 into the second. Zoe Galanoudis and Brie Dube had the assists. The score was 2-0, Golden Bears.
• Gina Richard had the first goal for the Seahawks to cut the deficit to one 15:34 into the second period of play. Caroline Pekkala had the assist. The Golden Bears led 2-1.
• Emily Wroblewski scored 19:37.6 into the third. Maddie Cox and Caroline Pekkala had the assists. The score was tied 2-2.
• Maddie Cox won the game for the Seahawks with a goal 2:59 into overtime. Gina Richard and Jennifer Rickard had the assists. The Seahawks led 3-2.
• Rieley Jessie-Gerelli made 32 saves.
• Livia Krzywulak made 23 saves and got the win.
• The Seahawks beat the Golden Bears by a score of 3-2.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will return to the Olympia Ice Center for their next game, as they host Rivier University on Friday, January 19, at 8:00 PM.
• The Seahawks will travel to the University of New England and the Harold Alfond Forum for a CCC matchup with the Nor'Easters. That game will be at 7:00 PM on Friday, January 19.